​When we arrived in Toronto in April 2018, we only intended to stay for a few months to visit with friends and family close by in Ontario. We ended up staying for 6 months, mostly because we wanted to spend the summer with people we knew and we wanted to leave before the cold of winter set in. There are a lot of touristy things to do in Toronto, like the CN Tower, the aquarium, & the Hockey Hall of Fame. But if you want to get more of a local feel, here are 12 things we recommend when visiting the city in the summer.

11 Travelling Tips & Tricks (We Learned On Our One Year RTW Trip)Written by: Shane​Travel's not all Instagram worthy sites and delicious meals. It's challenging, frustrating and fulfilling. If you're planning on taking a trip, these are a few small tips we wish we had known before we even started backing our bags.

The Reality of TravelWritten by: Becky​I have travelled a lot. I have been to 70 countries and lived in 12 cities, (in 8 different countries). 13 if you count moving to Toronto twice. I find immense joy in planning my next adventure, updating my travel map after a journey is complete, and have thousands (I mean thousands) of photos documenting each place. Travel is my passion and my addiction. It drives me and excites me in a way nothing else does. I know I will never be able to shake this feeling, this desire to go and venture into the unknown- to discover the next place.

​But travel isn’t without its difficulties. People always say to me “I wish I could do that” without always understanding what “that” entails. It can be hard. It can be miserable. It can almost break you and have you wishing you had a nice little house with a steady job and a mortgage (if anyone ever really wishes they had a mortgage). So, I have tried to pull together the true lessons and realities of travelling that I have learned along the way.

​One of the first quotes we read describing Cuba was: "A country as frustrating as it is intriguing", which is the perfect way to describe this island nation. Communism can really deter one going the extra mile at work and this is visible across Cuba. From servers to bartenders, and doctors to cigar makers. When the the playing fields are always even and the government constantly has their sticky fingers in its peoples pockets, it obviously constricts a country's growth and forward advancement. When taxi drivers make more in a day than doctors do in a month alarm bells should be sounding.

Running short on time before we had to be in Canada, we made our way from Belize overland into Mexico at the Santa Elena border point. Our first stop was Bacalar, which we had heard about from several travellers on the route south. ​

​Want to hike volcano? Visit one of the largest Mayan archaeological sites in the world? Wander through Central America's largest indigenous market? Then Guatemala is the place for you. Bordering 4 countries (Mexico, Belize, El Salvador & Honduras), it is easy to access this amazing country and with 37 volcanoes, the views are pretty breathtaking no matter where you look.

​After a 1.5 hour boat ride across from Nicaragua, we arrived in La Union, where we began our 11 days in El Salvador. Commonly associated with gangs, violence and danger El Salvador is trying desperately to shake its dangerous reputation, which it no longer deserves. Overall the country is beautiful, safe, and one of the cheapest in Central America. So what were the highlights?

While travelling through South America, everyone we met had rave reviews about Colombia. It was the "best" and we were "going to love it". Usually when there is that much hype about something, your expectations get out of control so we tried to keep them in check. But we were not disappointed...Colombia really is the best and you will love it!

With time running short to make it to Machu Picchu before the rainy season really set in, we had a limited amount of time to explore Bolivia. We opted for a quick week in the area around La Paz and Lake Titicaca before heading on to Cusco. Read more to see our highlights.

​Our journey through Argentina wasn't typical. Most people spend a bit of time in Buenos Aires and then head to the South to explore the amazing glaciers and hikes in Patagonia, or to the north to the equally impressive Lerma Valley. We had one month to get from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile, so decided on the route less travelled through the centre of Argentina

To state the obvious: Brazil is a huge country. After 2.5 months we managed to travel most of the coast from Fortaleza to Porto Alegre, with a 3.5 week stopover in Florianopolis (to reset after 6 months on the road) and two small trips inland to check out Chapada Diamantina & Iguacu Falls. The below are our top picks from the places we've seen, but by no means cover off all of Brazil.

South & East AfricaVisited: June 2014 & June-July 2017​Having visited South and East Africa on two occasions, we have pulled together a list of our top 10 travel picks. It wasn't an easy task, since there are so many amazing places to see, but we hope they give you the inspiration or final push you need to book that Africa trip.

Getting Around India: Ground transportation tips to help navigate India by road and rail

When you are on a budget while travelling ground transportation is often the cheaper option to flying. We've pulled together a few bits of info that might help while getting around India.Visited: April 2017